Soviet Assault: Red Future
by Terarex
Summary: What if Parker & Co. could not have stopped the Soviet advance at Cascade Falls? What if the "secret" of Fort Teller was revealed? Red Future imagines an alternative history to the WIC: Soviet Assault, showing an interpretation of what a Soviet victory might have looked like and also promotes the story of underused minor character Spetznaz team leader Zvezda.
_Romanov…Lieutenant Romanov come in._

4:15AM…Damn, does anyone sleep in this country?

 _Romanov…I know you can hear. Pick up the radio!_

 _Kholodno_ …Yes, very cold. The tent even for a lieutenant such as Romanov offered little respite from the bitter Midwestern cold. Russian cold was worse, yet, but even it was rarely accompanied by such early wake up calls.

"Romanov here. Come in Orlovsky."

"I trust your rest was sufficient lieutenant?" Yes, affirmed Romanov. Though he stressed it such that to Orlovsky the lie would be as clear as this cold, cold night. But one never knew who was listening to Soviet radio channels. The commissars and KGB seemed to never sleep at all.

"Romanov, we have a mission for you. I was going to give it to others but for whatever reason my intuition says you must take charge. The Americans are retreating en masse to Fort Teller. This is where the key to their, as they call it, 'Star Wars' anti-missile defense system lays. We take Fort Teller…"

 _We take America._

"Yes, comrade Orlovsky. I understand the gravity of this mission and why you are telling me this. I thank you for selecting me. Will I have the young buckaroo Malashenko at my side?"

Even at 4:17AM the joke elicited a hearty chuckle from Orlovsky.

"No, I have him chasing some Colorado cowboys, how you say, similar buckaroos? A group of youths trying to mount a token defense of the hills. Such a hunt is right up his alley, besides, I need someone with more _spokoynyy,_ more tranquility."

"I shall do my best not to disappoint, comrade Orlovsky."

"Yes lieutenant, I do not believe you shall. Take Cascade Falls, and take their Fort."

[14 hours later, near Cascade Falls]

Romanov stood back. It was clear the Americans were up to something. They had token defenses at two of the bridges into town but there was a single bridge with heavier tank support where even a private could tell the main defense was mustered. But for all the weapons they could muster (not too much at this point) they had no tool of violence such as Romanov had.

 _Zvezda come in._

"Yes, _leytenant_. Zvezda here."

"Is plan Lightning _Akula_ set?"

"Good to go comrade. Give the word and it will be done."

Romanov had recognized what others did not. Americans have no problem fighting a battle of retreat; in fact they had been doing so since Seattle. It's simple tactical analysis in this case: you have two bridges into town, leading to an enclosed neighborhood surrounded by a natural "moat" and a single bridge further to advance towards Fort Teller. The Americans would seek to trap the Soviet forces in the center of town at a disadvantage and slaughter them.

Romanov knew what he had to do, he had to give the Americans what they expected.

Beta group, advance now!

Beta group consisted of about 40 heavy battle tanks, but not the newer T-72 and T-88s rushed into frontline service. These were T-55s and T-64s which had arrived far later than the first wave. Primarily to relieve front line forces of pacification duties, they were plentiful and most important to Soviet doctrine – expendable. Crewed by fanatical reservists, many on the edge of battle-madness from service in Afghanistan.

Beta groups first tanks clashed head on with the American defenses. Eight abreast, the tank second left from center immediately took an anti-tank round from a defensive turret and burst into flames, the barrel descending as the mighty beast already breathed its last. At the bottom of the slight hill near the bridge was a line of American tanks and they fired hard and accurately taking out another four tanks. But still the reservists poured forward.

In other words, they had the Americans right where they wanted.

 _Zvezda, Lightning Akula, NOW!_

To the right of the bridge was both a creek and a wooded area. Zvezda's motor boats roared to life. Within seconds they were on the beachhead, under the bridge, setting charges. The Americans, eyes forward on the decoy tanks, to a man did not notice anything from behind. The charges and their wiring were sturdy, the rolls of cable were long. Zvezda and his troops got back in their boats and roared back into the cover of the trees in their boats.

 _Alfa force, deploy NOW!_

Now the attack had begun. To the bridge across town Romanov's T-72 and T-88s roared across the bridge. Romanov could hear Zvezda sneer over the radio.

"These Yankees just _der'mo_ themselves in their fatigues."

And it was so. The American tanks, presumably hearing frantic cries from their commander in the rear, were frantically trying to turn tail to engage Alfa force. It was confusion and it was a "worst case scenario", as the Americans call such a thing?

Even the T-55s took down a couple M1A1s with close range shots to the rear end of the American tanks disabling two. But at that point artillery fire support started to bombard Beta group.

 _Beta group. You have served our comrades well. Retreat now if you can. Zvezda, be ready._

"Hair trigger, lieutenant." Replied the GRU squad leader. Hero of Berlin.

The hastily arranged American column of tanks was just crossing the bridge. One…Two…

 _Now Zvezda!_

With four loud cracks Soviet explosive flung the bridge as a light door being swung open. The first tank was flung with such force that it landed upside down about 10 meters back. The second tank didn't fare much better being thrown with such force into the two tanks following it that all three burst into flames.

By now the "reinforcing" Americans were arrive on the scene, both tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles. Romanov was overjoyed how closely they stuck together in formation. Not seeming to know what to do. Romanov had a moment now to troll signals for intel. And after 30 or so seconds of sweeping the dials he got a rather frantic soldier on one of the general American channels.

"This is Bannon here! Oh god. I don't know what happened. Eagle Six report! They've got us with our pants down and I repeat, we cannot get to the center. We're sitting ducks!"

And they were. Each new wave of vehicles adding to the _trafik probka._ Then, the voice Romanov most wanted to hear.

"Lieutenant, we are prepared to deliver a heavy barrage."

Yes, requisition was dear and choices had to be made. Romanov 's contemporaries would perhaps have chosen more main battle tanks or even Mil-24s, the _letayushchiy tank._ Romanov knew it was artillery, as Napoleon had once said, that brings "civility to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl." Romanov knew his coordinates by heart, adjusted on the fly, and he delivered the order.

Be it an assault by a wing of Tu-95s or just the artillery, who could know the difference? The thunder echoed through the mountains as the starshells rained down on the tanks. They snapped and crackled like the prized American snack, the popcorn. Turrets defied physics and they flew up and out of their turrets, other tanks blew up sideways, or simply into the ground. What they had in common is they all blew up.

Romanov could not help but feel for those whose lives were lost here, unable to move, to fight, to change their destiny. It was over within three minutes, with only a token force of vehicles in the rear guard able to back away from the maelstrom.

Romanov again took the airways this time finding a different channel:

"This is Eagle Six. Parker, Webb, report. Goddamnit this is one royal ass kicking! Turn tail and get the hell out of there. Parker? No, I repeat make no stand at Fort Teller head to plateau zulu-delta and prepare for evac. We have no cards left to play now!"

With the Americans in full retreat Romanov ordered the engine fired up in his command vehicle. Static crackled as Orlovsky radioed in.

"Excellent work my friend. Join the main battle line and head straight for Fort Teller. There can be minimal resistance now."

A new voice entered the band.

"I agree with the commander, excellent work comrade. However, if ever a situation required KGB expertise it is this. I will join you within the hour. Breach the gates and wait for me, we will enter together. Lebedjev out."

Two hours later with the entrance gates in ruin and a short firefight against the beleaguered guard force having neutralized any resistance, Romanov, Lebedjev, and Orlovsky as well as the KGB tech crew poured through the various systems.

"Major Lebedjev, Major Lebedjev please come here!" Cried Ensign Vaslikov, one of the younger techs. "You need to read this."

For what seemed like ages Romanov watched Lebedjev, mesmerized by the screen look, and scroll, and process…Process…

Finally he snapped to attention.

"Comrades, tech teams, one two, follow me. We must adapt this communications equipment here at the base at once. I need the Politburo on encrypted channel immediately!"

Lebedjev was rarely excited.

 _What have you found?_ Orlovsky and Romanov were in unison.

"My friends", stated the Major, "I believe we just won this war."


End file.
